Serendipity
by fucj
Summary: I'm not normal... I mean, I have friends, I'm wealthy, I've got a loving family, no apparent issues with my life at all. Except, people don't understand that, even if you smile, you're not happy. Not at all.
1. Oh Well, Oh Well

**Serendipity**

_I'm not normal..._

_I mean, I have friends, I'm wealthy, I've got a loving family, no apparent issues with my life at all._

_Except, people don't understand that, even if you smile, you're not happy._

_Smiles don't mean shit._

_Nothing at all._

_And good fortune was never my thing so I do have people who hate me._

_I guess I don't really care anymore but good fortune is always a nice thing to have in life._

_But, hey, serendipity only comes to those who are lucky in life, no_

_Well, it might have just stumbled upon me when I found him._

**XxSPxX**

_Oh well, oh well._

_Guess I'll see you in hell._

_And I'm starting to dream, changing colors while I sleep._

_Maybe I'm just wasting time._

-Oh Well, Oh Well by Mayday Parade

**Serendipity- Chapter 1**

I grab my phone and roll my eyes at my over-bearing father, yelling something about football downstairs. Walking up another flight of stairs, I find myself wandering over to my room, ready to just collapse and die forever.

Honestly.

I don't think that people understand the severity of the situation I'm going through. My friends don't get it, my family _barely _gets it, and, personally, _I _don't get it. My main question is: Why me? Though I know the answer to that question.

It was my fault.

_Two Years Ago_

_Clary's Age- 15_

_I bite my lip, staring at the Ipecac Syrup I stole from my mom's medicine cabinet. When I think about the worst that can happen, it's not that bad. All it will do is make me puke. That's it. Right?_

_Breathing in, I drink a quarter of the bottle before feeling, satisfyingly, my stomach start to turn and my throat contracting. I sprint to the bathroom and kneel down at the toilet while my breakfast and lunch come rushing straight out of my mouth. When I'm done, I wash my face off at the sink and stare at myself in the mirror._

_You're disgusting, Clary Fray._

I shiver at the unpleasant memory and sigh, running my hands through my unruly hair.

"Clary?" I hear my mother shout from downstairs. Groaning, I heave myself up and out of my bed before going to the landing, shouting a reply to my mom.

"What's up, Mom?"

"Can you come down here for a second? Your father and I want to discuss something with you, sweetheart."

I feel like my mom's so fake towards me. It's like she doesn't even like me, she just _has _to be nice to me. Though that's most likely just my messed up brain doing the thinking there.

_Nice work, idiot._

My feet slap against the cold wood as I head downstairs. I turn the corner and my parents are there, sitting at my kitchen table, pouring over a sheet of paper. As I draw nearer, I see that they're my grades.

_Shit._

My mom looks up at me when she hears me come in. A mega-watt smile replaces the thoughtful look that graced her face a second ago. She opens her arms for a hug and I have no choice but to lean in for it. Mom squeezes me tightly before she lets go and hands me the sheet of paper.

_A.P English- _

_A-_

_History-_

_B+_

_Biology-_

_B-_

_P.E-_

_C-_

_Chemistry-_

_B+_

_Spanish-_

_A-_

_Health-_

_A_

_Art-_

_A+_

_Music-_

_A_

_Advanced Algebra 2-_

_A-_

I stare at my dad's face, waiting for the words of disappointment.

"We're proud of you, baby girl," he grins at me. "These are great. I mean, there's always room for improvement, but they're better than last semester's. I gaze disbelievingly at my father and he rubs my back and kisses my forehead.

"Look, Clary, we know how hard it is for you to cope, what with the anemia," he begins. "And your mother and I think that, for someone under you circumstances, these are great. We love you no matter what and we, honestly, don't care about the P.E grade. That's your brother's fault."

I chuckle quietly because they blame my brother every single chance they get.

"Thanks," I blush lightly, smiling. "So what do I get?"

My father pretends to think about it and hands me $50.

"Don't care what you do with it," he yawns and dismisses me with a wave of his hand. "Just don't buy drugs. Now go play."

After kissing both my parents in turn on the cheeks, I walk upstairs to my room, _again_, and flop down on my bed. I stare up at my white ceiling, covered with mini murals of whatever. Food, family, friends, just generally anything.

I've had iron-deficiency anemia for 2 years now. I never take my iron pills, I "forget", and it just keeps getting progressively worse. Of course, I don't want to tell my friends that I might be slowly dying because I don't want them to treat me like I'm a piece of glass or something. It's too late with my family. They treat me like I'm a 7 year old child with a life-threatening disease.

It's not fun being me sometimes, as you can tell, and the mental, as well at the behavioral, issues that come with this disorder aren't exactly pleasant. I used to be on the honor roll. Yeah, the honor roll. The high and mighty stuff. Then, this hit. So they took me off the honor roll as my grades dropped lower and lower. Now, I'm just an average high school student, just passing my classes.

You know what really sucks, though? Periods. They're pain and devastation in about 5 days. I lose a lot more blood than normal and, along with my anemia, this makes me incredibly sick for about 3 weeks. I'm a mess: I can't get up, I can barely breathe, my mom literally has to straw-feed me. It gets bad. The fact that I don't like hospitals doesn't really help my case but, clearly, I stopped giving a fuck a long time ago.

To get my mind off of things, I text my best friend really quickly.

_$50. What do we do?_

_-C_

I get an almost immediate reply.

_Target?_

_-I_

_TARGET._

_-C_

* * *

**AN: And I am BACK, you amazing people, with a new story. Serendipity is, like, a new type of story that I'm trying. You know, imagining Clary's world in a different light. Literally. **

**And I hope you guys like it. This isn't a one shot, by the way. And because I want to do SO MUCH with To Die For, but I REALLY need to end it soon, I might write a sequel or something. I don't know, but the story might progress a little quicker. **

**I'm sorry if To Die For becomes, well, SUCKY because I'm investing all (well, a lot of) my time and effort into THIS.**

**Hmm.**

**You guys tell me your opinion about ending To Die For and about THIS story.**

**Hope you guys like it.**

**Love you so so so so so so SO much more than stuff, guys,**

**-Sosebo**


	2. Never Lose Your Flames

**Serendipity**

_I'm trying to clean up the mess I made_

_But the towel I used to soak up my worry it just went up in flames_

_You see I got a conscience like gasoline_

_I could siphon shit out, fuck it and leave_

_But, I fuel the fire with everything they said it's stuck in my mind_

_You're better off dead._

-Never Lose Your Flames by Issues

**XxSPxX**

**Serendipity- Chapter 2**

My small hands desperately clutch to the straps of my satchel as my tiny frame is shoved into walls on the busy streets of Brooklyn. _This is exactly why Isabelle should've been considerate enough to pick me up._

As I approach my neighborhood's local Target, my eyes fix onto a warm, laughing pair of brown eyes. The body attached to it just happens to be my best friend, Isabelle. As she runs over, she almost collides with a tall, blond teenager. Fortunately enough, he stops abruptly before Izzy knocks him over, drunk in her stupor of enthusiasm. The boy chuckles, a sound so contagious that my lips start to unconsciously twitch. After shaking his head, his eyes follow Isabelle's direction and a large pair of aureate eyes land on mine.

I don't say this often but this guy is _hot. _His sculpted jaw is just the beginning. Pretty Boy has long, golden eyelashes that match his golden hair, which must be _really_ soft. His arms are covered in swirled, black tattoos and there's another one on his collarbone which I can't exactly read right now. I can tell, because of his skin-tight black shirt which leaves nothing to the imagination, that he has really defined stomach muscles. And then there's just his _face. _Oh my Lord. His eyes are expressive, meaning _huge, _and his full bottom lip is captured between his teeth.

My shoes suddenly become incredibly engaging as I begin to blush profusely at the ardency in his eyes.

The stranger's eyes are still on me when my best friend damn near knocks me over.

"Fifty dollars," she wheezes, placing her hands on her knees. Her long, thick black hair shields her face from me. "Where do we start? Shoes? Dresses? Shirts? Earrings? Music? Candles? Movies? I don't give a fuck. We just need to spend this money, Clare, before your dad takes it away again."

A tiny giggle escapes my mouth but my eyes focus behind Izzy's head. The stranger's back is to us now, his long legs taking him in the other direction. A strange sinking feeling overcomes my body and the giggle abruptly dies off my lips. And _he's going to Chipotle. This guy knows where it's at. _

"Hello?" Isabelle frantically waves her hand in front of my face. "You completely zoned out there for a second, Clary."

Shaking my head, I return my undivided attention to my friend's rambling.

"Okay, let's go in," I breathe a sigh.

Isabelle drags me all the way to the entrance of the huge Target. I lag behind to look for the beautiful stranger once again. My eyes frantically dart around, searching for the familiar head of golden blonde hair. I finally see him in the Chipotle across the road, sitting down with a really flamboyant young man and a familiar face.

I almost dislocate my best friend's arm, pulling her to a stop. Staring at me with her chocolate-colored eyes, one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows raised in question. I gesture towards the Chipotle and she spots him too.

"Is that-is that Alec?" she squints her eyes at her brother. "What the hell? He didn't tell me he was gonna be here."

Shrugging, my feet unconsciously follow Isabelle, who's heading to the glass door entrance to the Mexican restaurant. I silently pray that my crazy best friend isn't going to make a scene. Too much to ask for? Yeah. I think I guess that one already.

"What the fuck, Alec?" Izzy's deep brown eyes meet her brother's clear blue ones.

"Hello, sister," Alec drawls lazily, before taking another bite out of his burrito.

"I thought you were going out on a-" Isabelle stops short when her eyes land on the man seated next to her brother. "Magnus!"

A squeal escapes her mouth and I feel the need to cover my ears.

"Isabelle," Magnus kisses both of her cheeks, when his yellow-green, cat-like eyes fall on me. A bright smile lights up his well sculpted face.

"Clarissa Morgenstern," he says before scooping me up into a hug. Giggling, my hand hits his arm until he drops me.

"How have _you _been? I haven't seen you in years," my colorful friend gushes.

"You saw me a month ago, Magnus," I say slowly.

"Shut up, that seems like ages ago."

My subconscious tells me there's a pair of eyes boring into my back. I turn around, forgetting that the mysterious stranger from earlier is there to. My face is cherry red when my eyes meet his.

"Clary, this is our friend, Jace Herondale."

The way that his name effortlessly rolls of Magnus' lips sends a jolt through my body.

Then, Adonis himself stands up and faces me, taking his hand out of his jeans pocket and offering it to me. I stare at it like an idiot for about a minute before taking it in my own. His warmth spreads through me and a slight shiver passes through me.

"Hey," his baritone voice caresses my ears.

"Hi," I whisper quietly.

We stay like that, my hand in his, his eyes on mine.

The only thing that breaks our trance is a loud clearing of someone's throat.

We all turn to the noise and Magnus is grinning at us with blindingly white teeth.

"Enough, lovebirds," Isabelle narrows her eyes playfully. "We've got to go to Target _anyways, _so we'll see you guys later, right?"

Jace's eyes continue to stare into mine, as he nods.

"Totally."

* * *

**AN: Can I just say how much I love the band Issues?**

**Like their music is everything.**

**Anyways, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review. **

**I love you guys.**

**-Sosebo**


	3. Dreamer

**Serendipity- Chapter 3**

_If I die before I shine,_

_I hope my soul will finally find,_

_A heart that beats as fast as mine,_

_In search of something worth my time._

_A place to rest, a place to hide,_

_From all the mess I've left behind._

_This occasion calls for something more than just another..._

_Washed up broken hearted lie._

_This occasion calls for something more than just another..._

_Waste of all my time._

_-Dreamer_ by Ghost Town

* * *

**XxSPxX**

* * *

"Oooh, Clare," Isabelle bounces up and down, legs crossed, long hair flailing. "You and I _both _know that Jace Herondale is one hot piece of man right there. Don't lie."

I groan and shove my face further into the pillow to hide my red face from my best friend before she sees it and assumes that it's something completely different.

"You _totally _like him," my best friend squeals, flopping back onto my bed happily. "See, you're even blushing. You can't ignore what your body tells you, Clarissa. I don't think it's healthy."

All I hear is a faint 'ow' because a pillow has just been launched into her face. "What the heck, Clare?! I'm _trying _to help you here."

"Well you're, honestly, not doing a very good job. I know that you think I need to ' recognize my true feelings' and all of that crap, but I know what I'm feeling already. Sure, he's cute. I can state that like I'm telling you that we're in New York right now. It's a fact. I just don't know about his personality. The thing is, I need to get to know his before I start contacting him again."

Izzy groans and pulls a pillow over her face. I grab my phone from my desk and sift through my Tumblr dashboard. Isabelle has slid the pillow off of her face and is watching me with interest. Suddenly, she gasps and grins.

"We should try and find him on Tumblr," she insists. "He probably has one. I feel like he would."

My eyes dart to my friend uncertainly. "I'm not sure if you're joking or you're just crazy."

The brown-eyed girl who's laying in front of me, her head propped onto her arm, just snorts. Then she laughs. Her laugh gets louder and louder until I have to tell her to shut up.

"Do I ever joke, Clary?"

"Um, a lot actually."

"Shut up. Wrong answer. I'm trying to help you uncover your true feelings for this boy but you just _won't cooperate_," a frustrated sigh escapes her lips as she pouts at me.

"Fine." The word is reluctantly said. "But he probably has an Instragram, not a Tumblr. Or he has a Twitter."

"Okay," she claps happily, grabbing my laptop from under my bed. "Let's get started."

* * *

After Isabelle, somehow, found him on Instagram (though not Tumblr, which she was incredibly upset about) we find ourselves outside his house. Pulling my light fur coat a little tighter around my shoulders, I glance at my friend who's just staring up at the big modern building in awe.

"So what are we doing here again?"

She turns to me and gives me a look like I'm stupid. Sometimes I honestly wonder how and, more importantly, _why _I'm friends and I _listen _to this demanding idiot.

"We tell him that Alec gave us his address and dropped by because you ' wanted to get to know him better'. Right?"

I nod my head curtly, wondering why I'm doing this again. My hands frantically rub up and down my arms, trying to create friction to warm them up. Giving up on that, I breathe into my gloved hands, rubbing them together.

"The sooner we get this over with, Clare, the sooner we can get inside, okay?"

"Okay."

My friend strides confidently up to the buzzer, tapping her foot and waiting for him to respond.

"Hello?" the deep voice sounds confused and surprised. "Sorry, I'm not expecting anyone today."

"Don't worry about it," Iz chirps. "It's Isabelle Lightwood, Alec's sister, and I brought my best friend, Clary, if you don't mind. We just dropped by to say hi. If it's not too much trouble, could you let us in? Clary's kinda freezing her butt off out here."

My green eyes grow wide and more dark, auburn strands of long hair blow into my face as I shake my head frantically. Isabelle's face just gets more mischievous.

"Oh really? Alright. You guys can come up. The door's unlocked."

Isabelle makes a pumping motion with her fist and manages to blurt out a quick thank you to Jace before dragging me through the door and up the elevator. I can barely take in my surroundings because Izzy dragged me up here so fast. Though, I can tell, the lobby is white, pristine, and there's no trace of imperfection in sight. It's the same with the elevator. The shiny metal of the elevator tells me that this place _isn't cheap_.

Once we reach the 37th floor, the elevators ding and we step out, admiring the luxury carpeting, furniture, and overall atmosphere of the area. A whistle is blown out from Isabelle's mouth.

"Damn," she whispers.

My only response is an awe-stricken nod as we approach Room 378. It's almost all the way down the hall, close to the huge floor to ceiling window. This is crazy. And a very bad idea already.

"Jace!" Izzy yells, knocking on his door. "It's us!"

The key in the lock is shuffled and twisted for about five seconds before the door swings open to reveal the Adonis himself, his muscular frame blocking the view of his room from us. He's, simply, decked out in a light gray t-shirt and light wash skinny-ish blue jeans. It looks like he either didn't have time to brush his hair or it's just naturally messy like that.

"Hey," Jace grins at us, looking us both over, nodding his head. "It's cool that you guys dropped by."

Isabelle flashes him her signature mega-watt smile, his amber eyes meeting her brown ones.

"Wasn't it? It was _totally _Clary's idea. She wanted to see you again, right Clare?"

My glare wipes the smile off of my best friend's face. She can clearly see that I'm anything but impressed. Jace seems to catch this and raises his perfectly shaped eyebrows at us. Quickly plastering a fake smile on my face, I turn to him and show him that there's _absolutely no problem _here. You know, other than the fact that my friend is a conniving idiot.

"You guys wanna come in?" Jace clears his throat as his eyes dark nervously to mine.

"It'd be our pleasure," I reply, shoving Isabelle in front of me.

_Here we go._

* * *

**AN: Hello, hello, helloo my beautiful people. **

**I hope you guys are all having a really cool day/night/week/whatever. Because I'm not. This week sucked which is why I needed to channel _all _of my emotion into getting a new chapter up for you peoples.**

**Okay, I hoped you liked it and there's a _lot _more coming in the future.**

**Love you guys to pieces,**

**-Sosebo**


	4. Parasites

**Serendipity- Chapter 4**

_I can't believe I waited all this time_

_To figure out what's missing_

_I can't believe that this is happening_

_To me this won't keep happening to me_

-Parasites by Sleeping with Sirens

* * *

**XxSPxX**

* * *

As I step into the open apartment, the first thought that passes through my head is _Why is everything so clean in here? _I can see that this is also my best friend's first thought because she's throughly examining his whole living space, flipping over books, digging into sofas, peeking under pillows.

I poke her in the side, a reprimanding gesture meaning 'Isabelle, what the hell are you doing?' She just shrugs at me and continues the stalkerish pursuit.

Jace returns from the kitchen with two glasses of water, just as Iz drops the final black throw pillow on the white sofa. She shoots him an innocent smile, like she wasn't just invading his personal space. _Yeah, okay, smooth, Isabelle._

"Hey," he smiles at the both of us. "I brought you guys drinks, just in case you got thirsty. I hope water's okay."

"Totally fine," Isabelle assures him, a little over-eager to please him for my sake. Rolling my eyes at her, I throw a quick grin in Jace's direction before gingerly taking the glass out of his hands.

For the brief moment that our hands touched, there was a tiny spark of... _something. _It was there, undeniably, because as soon as it passed between us, Jace's head snapped up and molten gold eyes met mine.

"Thanks," I mumble quickly, taking a quick sip and turning around to face the giant floor to ceiling windows. "You're apartment is so nice. I've never seen anything like it. Well, apart from in magazines and commercials."

A smug look grows on his face.

"Thanks," he grins. "I don't mean to brag but I designed it myself. Of course, though, with some help from my sister, but it was mostly me."

"You have a sister?" Isabelle's eyes grow wide and she glances at me, obviously excited for some reason that I can't place. "That's great. You should introduce her to us sometime. How old is she?"

"She's only two years younger than I am. So she's 17 which is about you guys' age, right? She needs more friends anyways. All she does is sit up alone in her room all day. You guys'll be good for her."

Isabelle claps happily after taking a seat on the only single-seated chair there so that I'd be forced to sit next to Jace. All I do is give her a look and she smirks knowingly at me, staring at me like, 'I know what I'm doing, just trust me, okay?"

Jace takes the seat right next to me and that's when I realize that golden boy is actually a living, breathing sun. His huge arm right next to me is giving off enough warmth to give heat to a small country. I take a deep breath through my nose and, unconsciously, a strong, musky, masculine smell hits my nose. Oh my God, is that his cologne? Because, if it is, I might just have an aneurysm.

"Her name's Tessa," Jace continues on talking to Isabelle. "She's a little reclusive so it might take some coaxing to get her out of her shell. If that's okay with you, that is?"

"Totally! Right, Clary?" Isabelle directs her attention to me and just stares.

"Clary?" A large hand gently descends onto my shoulder and the heat is transferred all throughout my body. I instantly relax though I don't have it in me to reply to him. "Are you okay? Clare?"

At that nickname, my attention springs back to life. His face is laced with worry and his golden eyes pierce through me. Breathlessly, I nod at him, smiling sweetly.

"I'm fine, Jace," I wave off his wary look. "I just get lost in my own head sometimes, isn't that right, Izzy?"

My best friend is busy texting God knows who when I say her name and she looks up at me, confused. My eyes shoot her a look saying, 'Just go along with it. Please.'

"Yeah!" Isabelle grins a little too brightly. "She does it _all _the time."

We keep on with your idle chatter until our jaws hurt from yawning and laughing. When Jace looks out the window, he looks surprised that it's already pitch black outside.

"We should probably get going now," I admit, another yawn following up the sentence. "Thanks for having us, though."

Jace just looks skeptical and deep in thought, obviously contemplating something.

"How did you guys get here?"

"We walked."

At this, Jace shakes his head and grabs his coat. "Come on, I'm driving you guys home. I don't like the thought of me leaving you guys to walk home in the dark. It doesn't sit well with me. Don't object, just grab your stuff."

My dark-haired friend and I share a glance before shrugging and following Jace out the door, our coats in our hands. As we approach the elevator, my stomach sinks when I spot the person across the hall from us. My face is lacking any type of color and Izzy notices this immediately.

"Clary, what's wrong?" She shakes my shoulder, impatiently. I gesture to the end of the hall and her already wide eyes widen even more. Jace is about to press the elevator button when he realizes that we've stopped.

"What's up?" He frowns.

"Is that Jon?" Iz whispers in my ear. I nod, my brows furrowed. "Dude, if he sees us here with Jace, he's gonna tell your parents."

"And you know what that means," I whisper back. "We've got to go, quick."

"Wait, Clare, who's he with?"

I squint my eyes to try and get a better view of the girl who has her back to us.

"Is that Aline?" A gasp escapes my mouth as I poke Iz's arm.

"Yeah, okay, that's our cue to depart," she pulls both Jace and I's arms into the elevator just as it opens.

"What's going on guys?" He looks nervously between the both of us.

"Sorry, we just saw Clary's brother," Isabelle apologizes sincerely. "With one of our friends so we're slightly shocked here, don't mind us."

"What's his name?"

"Jonathan." The reply is murmured as I run a hand through my hair.

"Silverish hair, green eyes?" He confirms.

"Yeah," I look up surprised. "How did you know _that_?"

"Oh, him and I are friends. He's around here all the time."

Groaning, I rub a hand across my face.

_Thanks, Jon, for making my life ten times easier, you fucking parasite._

* * *

**AN: So I wrote the ending of this chapter like yes and then I remembered the song Parasites by Sleeping with Sirens and I was like this is amazing omg this fits the chapter so well so here you go.**

**Sorry for that long run on sentence. I just finished writing this chapter and I realized how great this song is with this chapter and OMG I AM GOOD AT THIS. **

**Alright I'm weird. **

**And I really love how that with only 3 chapters I got 11 reviews. I love you guys so much, thank you.**

**I didn't even get to watch Insurgent with my friend on Tuesday so I have to flipping watch it at home, alone in my room, huddled up in a blanket, holding a bowl of popcorn, and drinking tons of hot chocolate.**

**Not that I'm complaining.**

**LOVE YOU GUYS SO MACH,**

**-fucj**


	5. Just in Time

**Serendipity - Chapter 5**

_Like I will lift you up and, baby, I will build you up_

_Cause I could never try enough_

_To show you I can be the love _

_We're not hiding from this time._

_And if it all falls down_

_Just let me be here, let my arms surround _

_And let me say how I'm so sure I've found_

_A place for you to wear your crown _

_A place where our names rhyme_

_And it is all because you found me just in time_

-_ Just in Time_ by Jason Lancaster

* * *

**XxSPxX**

* * *

Izzy and I only escape because, after Jace's revelation, we all pack ourselves into the large elevator. I know, it doesn't sound that bad. But, the thing is, I forgot to mention that we're in there with about 20 other teenagers. Isabelle gives me a strange look and that's when I realize that she's uncomfortable. This rarely happens to Iz so there must be something off about these people.

Clary, try and cover your mouth and nose. Breathe into your hands," a soft pair of lips brushes my ear. The baritone voice of the blonde Adonis behind me is quiet and soft. This sends a shudder through my body and I automatically follow his instructions.

"Good girl," he runs a hand over my back. I'm wondering why he's giving me these instructions until Isabelle starts choking. Her normally pale face is red and her eyes are watering. I raise an eyebrow at her and she just shakes her head, coughing some more. The others don't seem to notice.

"Hey, Ursie," one yells. "Pass the weed!"

Realization dawns on me. _Damn, are they really high?_

Ursie, wearing hot pink leather pants and a denim jacket, shifts her purple hair to one side and hands the guy a rolled up piece of paper, swaying slightly as she does. (her fashion sense killed me)

_And apparently, they're drunk off of their asses too. Great._

"Jace," I murmur, only loud enough for his ears. His head snaps towards me, a worried look shining in his eyes. My hand waves him over and he puts his ear right next to my mouth. He's basically squatting at this point and that bothers me more than I can articulate. I hate my height sometimes.

"Doesn't your apartment have a no smoking policy or something? Like, I know weed is legal here and everything but really? Is it necessary for them to do it in the elevator?" I continue my sentence, staring straight ahead, my mouth barely moving.

"Yeah, my landlord really hates smoking and this is the only not-private-area in the building without cameras of some kind. Sorry about this. I know that you already have a lot to deal with right now."

"It's okay," I reassure him, patting his back gently. My gaze drifts off towards Isabelle who's eyes are still red and watery. The thing is, though, she's smiling manically in my direction. Discreetly, I raise my middle finger in _her _direction, shooting her a saccharine smile.

The elevator finally dings and I breathe a sigh of relief, although I begin to tear up, due to the overpowering smell of marijuana circulating around the elevator. Cursing silently, I grab my best friend's hand after Jace grabs mine. Making a beeline for the exit, I almost run head-first into Jace's back. Looking up confusedly, his eyes burn dangerously.

"Run," he whispers, almost silently. After passing the message onto Isabelle, we're all outside in the parking lot, breathing heavily.

Isabelle's hands are on her knees, I'm sitting cross-legged on a disabled parking space, and Jace is on his phone doing God knows what.

"Jace?" Iz looks up questioningly.

"Mhmm?" He says this without even looking up from his phone. Rolling my eyes, I gesture for my friend to continue.

"Why'd we run out of there like bats out of hell?" She raises her eyebrows at him, her lips pursed, eyes squinted into slits. Running a hand through his silky golden hair, there's a pregnant pause before he continues.

"I promise that I'll explain this to you guys later," his fingers make a crossing motion over his heart. "But, right now, we need to get you home. It's 11 mother fucking p.m. You guys are only 17. How did you guys get here?"

"We walked," I shrug.

Disbelief shadows over his face. "Are you serious?"

"We walk everywhere," Isabelle glares at him. "We can drive, but our parents refuse to buy us cars... even second-hand ones."

"Come on," he grabs a set of keys out of his back pocket. "Let me drive you guys home."

* * *

It's 3 in the morning and I'm adding a pair of golden eyes to my wall mural. My sleeping pills don't work anymore and I forgot to take my iron supplementaries. _Nice move, Clary. Real nice._

Mom refuses to buy me stronger ones because she read on some shitty website that stronger sleeping pills cause cancer. That's a whole load of dumb bullshit and we both know that.

My iron supplementaries are running out and Dad is the only one who knows where to get them. But, hey, he's on a goddamn business trip so I'm saving them for next week when the devil decides to pay me a visit.

A.K.A periods.

I add the final lash on one of the eyes and start on the other one. A long sigh escapes my lips and I rub my forehead in exhaustion. Now that I'm thinking back on it, it's completely my fault that I'm fucking anemic and an insomniac.

When I was about 12 or 13-ish, I thought I was super fat because I wasn't fucking anorexic like the rest of the girls in my class. So pre-pubescent Clary thought that it'd be a great idea to "borrow" some of her mom's Ipecac Syrup. Yeah, not a good idea.

It make me puke easily enough without me having to stick a finger down my throat. I always thought that was nasty anyways, despite the fact that every other girl in my class did it.

It got so bad that I was under 70 pounds at age 15. My mom took me to a hospital (finally, because this had been going on for years) and, wow, I had anemia. And they found the Ipecac Syrup in my body. Surprise, surprise, my mom started crying. Bitch.

Don't get me wrong, I love her. She's just an ignorant ass mother. Just like my dad is an ignorant ass motherfucker. Just like my brother is a bitch man-whore.

Amazing how my family works, right?

I finally finish up the lashes on the right eye and now I have a replica of Jace's eyes staring right back at me. It's weird because they're as mesmerizing as the real thing. It's like you can't stop staring into them.

Shaking my head, I climb back into bed, though I grab my phone this time. My phone dings with an iMessage. Groaning, I check it.

**Isabelle: **hey grapefruit.

**Clary: **hey jellybean. i have no idea why you're awake. i'mm go to sleep.

**Isabelle:** i can't yet. alec still hasn't come back home yet. it's been, like, 7 billion hours.

**Clary:** hold up. didn't he say that he was hanging out with magnus tonight ?

**Isabelle:** oh right. thanks clare. i'mma head to sleep now. did you take your pills?

**Clary:** mhhm. thanks mom.

**Isabelle:** are you serious? don't try to lie to me. i can tell even over the damn phone. which ones did you forget this time?

**Clary:** damn you lightwood. iron supplementaries.

**Isabelle: **GO AND TAKE YOUR GODDAMN PILLS YOU BITCH. DO YOU WISH TO SUFFER.

**Clary:** can't. saving them for when the devil appears. ;)

**Isabelle:** ohh right. okay. better. i was scared.

**Clary:** go to bed jellybean.

**Isabelle:** kay grapefruit.

**Clary: **night Iz.

**Isabelle: **night Clare-bear.

* * *

**AN: HIELLO YOU GORGEOUS AMAZING PEOPLE WHO HAVE PROBABLY BEEN WAITING FOR THIS UPDATE FOR YEARS.**

**I apologize about being MIA. My body is so sore bc of all the stuff that I've been doing for the past month or two. I haven't had a lot of time to get on the internet or just do anything else in general. I've been super sick and then I sprained my index fingers (yeah both of them) and then I had to travel like 7 times.**

**Sorry.**

**Please follow, favorite, and ESPECIALLY review bc they make my day and they tell me what to do, as well as where to take this story.**

**Expect more frequent updates (maybe) Love y'all.**

**-fucj**


	6. 24 Floors

**Serendipity - Chapter 6**

_"You don't wanna die tonight,_

_Take one more breath to clear your mind._

_Every moment's relevant,_

_Bittersweet and delicate,_

_Tomorrow may not come again."_

_\- 24 Floors_ by The Maine

* * *

**XxSPxX**

* * *

My phone rings and, when I'm checking the caller I.D, my heart speeds up significantly. _It's Jace. How the hell did he get my number? And, don't forget, the fact that my phone recognizes his number is a different story. Sneaky bastard._

Taking a deep breath, my finger quickly stabs the green 'answer' button before my brain has a chance to over-think this scenario. "This is Clary, who may I be speaking to?"

I mentally face-palm and shake my head. The deep, familiar chuckle on the other end of the line makes me, inadvertently, grin as wide as a Cheshire cat.

"Did I program your phone wrong or did you completely just ignore who was calling? That's dangerous, sweetheart, I hope you understand." His voice sounds a lot less distracting over the phone, but distracting nonetheless. Though, because of this, my mind allows me to actually form a coherent sentence that I can vocalize. _Nice one, Clary. Thanks for actually being functional around this guy for once._

"I don't know, Jace, why don't you tell me? Since you appear to know me so well." Raising my eyebrow, I climb off of my bed to grab my paint set from my drafting desk. My feet somehow tangle themselves up and I trip, hitting my foot straight into the corner of the table. I let out a loud groan as I hear a faint crack. _Dammit. For real? Why now?_

"Woah there, green eyes, calm down. What happened?" He chuckles over the phone, and I scowl at him, knowing full well that he can't see me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to think about anything but the throbbing pain in my foot.

"I'm fine," my words come out quietly, as they're being breathed out between my clenched teeth. "Just _peachy_."

"You don't sound too peachy, sweetheart. You want me to come over? You know, check if you fucked something up real bad? Because I'm sure that I heard something crack. Not a too good a sign, huh?"

"Fine, whatever. And please don't make conversation with my brother. I know you guys are friends and everything, but it'd save me a lot of trouble if you either lied to him about why you're here, or avoid all contact with him. Please and thank you." I poke the underside of my foot slightly with my index finger and draw a sharp breath through my teeth as a wave of stinging pain washes through me.

"Yeah, okay, I'm coming over. You want me to call Isabelle?"

"Please do. I'm gonna hang up now because I don't think I can talk too much anymore. It hurts. And tell Izzy to call Alec. He's done some medical training as well."

"No problem. I can do that. I'll be there in 10, sweetheart."

He hangs up and I drop my phone on the bed, cradling my foot gingerly. I do this for about 5 minutes until the throbbing pain is just an ache in the background. _Hot damn, Clary. Nice freaking move. _

A knock on my door startles me out of my thoughts. Surprise registers in my mind. No one in my house ever bothers to knock on my door unless something serious is happening.

"Come in...?" I speak, slightly confused. A head of hair so similar to mine pops in and I'm staring at the same colored eyes as well.

"Hey, honey. Uh, there's someone on the phone for you downstairs. It sounds like a boy. Can you answer it please? Or should I just send it to the phone in here?"

"Just send it in here, Mom. Would've saved you the trouble of coming up here anyways. But thanks for asking, at least."

"No problem, sweetie. Give me a minute, okay?"

The door closes behind my mother and I look down at my slowly swelling ankle. The underside of my foot is an unnatural firetruck red while the rest of it is just a _regular _shade of red. Shaking my head, I slide myself backwards so that I'll be able to reach the phone when it rings. And it does.

"Hello?" I pick it up, rubbing a hand over my face.

"Hi," Jace's voice fills my ears again. A sense of warmth rushes through me and I grin. "My cell died and the only number that Alec had was your house number. Hope I didn't cause you too much trouble."

"Not at all. Where's Isabelle?"

"Getting some pants on," Alec mumbles in the background. I chuckle, knowing my best friend well enough that I understand. She doesn't wear any pants around the house. She wears underwear, but pants just "weigh her down".

Jace laughs heartily and speaks again. "Yeah. We'll be there in about 3 minutes if your friend hurries her ass up."

"Shut up, Jace," a recognizable female voice grumbles this in the background.

"Oh. Speak of the devil." Alec laughs.

"We'll be there really soon, sweetheart. Don't break something again, okay?"

"Whatever. Bye guys."

I hang up and lay back, after placing the phone on its base. My ears faintly register someone calling my name from downstairs. It's sure as hell not my mom because the voice is _way _too deep. But now, I can't differentiate my brother and my father's voice.

"Clary! Come and see this!"

Yeah, definitely my father.

"Coming, Dad!"

I hop up from my bed and my knees rapidly buckle. The first thing that enters my line of vision is the white carpeting of my floor and the only thing that my brain is thinking right now is _oh shit._

* * *

I blink my eyes slowly, looking at my surroundings. My father is at the door, staring at me in horror. My mom is yelling at Jonathan to do _God knows what, _and my foot still hurts like a bitch. Damn.

"Clarissa, are you okay? Is it the anemia? Is it-"

My father's incessant rambling is cut off by the sound of the doorbell. I shoot a sweet smile in my father's direction.

"Father, dear, would you mind getting the door for me? As you can see, I am _severely _disabled at this moment in time. It'd be great if you could invite the hoard of teenagers at the door to my humble dwelling. Just tell them to get their asses up here and get them up here quick."

My dad just nods obediently and runs downstairs.

_Damn. Jonathan is now most likely gonna run into my Jace. My luck is seriously diminishing as I get older, or it was really bad from birth. Either way it sucks._

Someone clears their throat obnoxiously and I look up to see 3 tall people, looming in my doorway. I wave them inside, giving them notice to close the door behind them.

"Hey, sweetheart," Jace smiles at me. He's holding a first aid kit. "Why are you on the floor, may I ask?"

"No reason," I lie flawlessly, glancing at Isabelle. She's the only one who can see through my blatant lie. "Now give me medical treatment. My foot hurts really bad."

Alec bends down after snatching the kit from a distracted Jace. He's looking around my room, staring at the murals. His golden eyes finally land on the picture reflecting them. Jace's eyes grow wide as he steps towards it, cocking his head to the side.

"Jesus, Clary, I didn't know that you're an artist," he whistles, a ghost of a smile shadowing his lips.

"There are a lot of things that you don't- SHIT ALEC!" I yell the last part, tears pricking my eyes as his long fingers forcefully press down on the swollen part of my ankle.

"Sorry, Clary," he smiles apologetically up at me.

"Where'd Isabelle go?" I ask, confused.

"Right here," she wheezes. "I needed to pee. And why does climbing your stairs always feel like I'm climbing 24 floors up instead of one?"

"Good question. I have no idea."

* * *

**AN: HIELLO. Omg actually I just finished the chapter when the song 24 floors by The Maine came on so I was like for real yes. And this is mainly a filler chapter and whatever. **

**Okay, tell me what you wanna see more of bc there are a lot of people saying that they want something, but tons of other people want to see something else. Who would you guys like me to add into the equation? Simon? Sebastian? Kaelie? Take your pick, I don't really mind what the outcome is, as long as y'all like it.**

**Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review bc you know how much those make my day. :D**

**My love for you guys is balls deep. ;)**

**-fucj**


	7. Black Cat

**Serendipity - Chapter 7**

_Oh close up camera two_

_Cause the hero dies in this scene_

_Your inspiration is the loss of absolutely everything_

_And flashback on the girl_

_As we montage every memory_

_And we bleed out in the bathroom sink_

_And we fade out as the soundtrack sings:_

_You're like a black cat with a black back pack full of fireworks_

_And you're gonna burn the city down right now_

_Whoa whoa, yeah_

_You're like a black cat with a black back pack full of fireworks_

_And you're gonna burn the city down right now_

_Whoa whoa_

\- _Black Cat _by Mayday Parade

* * *

I'm, forcefully, put on bed rest for the next week by my mother. Considering that I now have a cold and that my Snapchat feed is as dry as my throat, there are zero activities for me to partake in, therefore, I am bored out of my mind. Jace has been coming over quite frequently to talk to Jonathan. Evidently, my attempts to ward him off were futile and they've become "best friends", although they won't admit that. Their cover is "We're bros, Clary. You gotta accept that."

Cue eye roll.

Isabelle went to Seattle with her parents, Alec and Magnus. Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood aren't the best parents; they do let their children wander around aimlessly at 3 in the morning and they don't even care. To say the least, they're not incredibly involved in the lives of their children. I wish some people were like that ... not naming any names here (*cough* my parents *cough*).

I know, right.

And, while we're on the topic, there's the increasingly large issue of my parents. My dad, who was home from that business trip for about 3 days, stayed _for the rest of the month. _My mom won't let me get up, even to grab my laptop which is _never _under my bed anymore, because she thinks that I'm going to "severely injure myself" or "break my leg". And, on top of all of that, my mom won't let me get my caramel frappe from Starbucks.

I hate my life.

* * *

The door to my room swings forwards, a hand pushing the gilded handle. My eyes immediately dart to the door, looking up from my pointless Etsy browsing.

Golden hair is swung back from golden irises as slim, though strong, hands are shoved into the pockets of tight-ish black jeans. Perfect teeth chew absent-mindedly on a full bottom lip, giving me a glance of his slightly chipped incisor.

"Is this a bad time?" Jace asks, looking around my room, his eyes scanning, awestruck, at the ceiling. Then, his gaze finally focus on me and my current demeanor. A smug look crosses his face, while his eyes burn with an unrecognizable emotion, somewhat close to ardency. Again.

"Not at all," I say, my left hand slightly pushing down the cover of my laptop, not fully, so I don't have to unlock it again. I suspect that this will be a brief conversation. "What's up?"

My hands, either side of me, push my feeble frame up so that my back is, solidly, resting on the headboard. Mentally assessing my attire, I realize why Jace looked so complacent a few seconds ago. My hair is tied up in a bun, a purple bandana tied around the front. I threw on my Mayday Parade sweatshirt and a pair of yoga pants. Finally, to complete my look, I have little replicas of Kermit the Frog continuously printed across my white socks.

A scowl, directed in Jace's direction, is thrown and my only response is a mischievous grin, giving my eyes full access to the chipped front tooth.

"Love your outfit, by the way," he snickers.

"You know, Jace, I hope you realize that if I could get up, you could be on the floor with your ass beat. Shut up."

"Relax, sweetheart," the butterflies in my stomach decide to wake up, "I'm joking. You look _fabulous_. And I love that band, by the way." He finishes his sentence, raising his index finger to point to my sweater.

Using my thumb and index fingers on both hands, I raise up the front of my sweatshirt, lifting both of my eyebrows disbelievingly. "This band? Mayday Parade? Are you for serious?"

"For serious?" A ghost of a smile crosses his features. "Yes, I am completely for serious."

A squeal that I have no recollection of ever hearing before this moment in time escapes my mouth. Grabbing my laptop, I temporarily minimize my Etsy page and open up Spotify. My Mayday Parade playlist blasts through the room, the first song being Black Cat from A Lesson in Romantics, their first album. Moving over, I pat the, now empty, space next to me on my bed.

Smiling, Jace flops down right next to me, jostling my ankle roughly, and slowly places his feet on the foot board. The searing pain hasn't completely diminished so I close my eyes for a couple of seconds. When I finally decide to open them, Jace then focuses his attention on me, staring right into my eyes. I blink slowly, a silent invitation for him to speak.

"How's your ankle, sweetheart?" He asks gently, glancing down at it.

"It's fine, I guess. Doesn't hurt too bad anymore." As I say this, I look down, suddenly blinking rapidly. Jace's face changes, abruptly becoming lighthearted. A deep chuckle that comes from his chest resonates around the room.

"Then why are you still in bed, and your face always scrunches up when it's moved. Like, when I got on the bed a second ago, it shifted your ankle and you winced. You know I'm right, Clare."

"It's not that bad, okay? I'll be fine and out of bed in the next couple of days. Actually, since my parents are out, can we go to your apartment? I really hate it here and, I swear, I'm suffocating in this room."

"Sure thing, sweetheart," Jace hops up, and turns around to face me once again. "Except there's no way to transport you from here to my car without carrying you the whole way."

I wrack my brain for a solution to this problem. And a solution is what I get.

"You're just gonna have to carry me, then."

* * *

My seatbelt is strapped across my body by Jace. Since I've been in his Mercedes, I've made a huge list of pros and cons - the list is called "Exploring Crap with Jace".

**PROS**

\- he actually takes care of me

\- he tries to make me feel comfortable

\- he's really hot

\- like really hot

\- he likes Mayday Parade so he actually might like other bands too

\- he seems to have a mild interest in getting to know me

**CONS**

\- he knows my brother

\- he's friends with my brother

\- he's best friends with my brother

\- he seems like he's into tall, leggy blondes (of which I am not)

\- I think I'm being to clingy half of the time I'm around him

\- he's really bad at showing emotion

\- I never know how he feels

\- he's confusing

\- he's mysterious

\- I really don't know him that well

I'm still creating his huge list of pros and cons in my head when Jace climbs into the driver's side of the car. Generously sparing me a quick glimpse, he turns his eyes to the task at hand: reversing out of his parking spot.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Keeping his eyes on the road, Jace glances at me.

A snort escapes my lips and a disgusted look forms on my face. "A penny? Jace, you and I both know that my thoughts, worthy of the praise of Newton, Graham-Bell, and Einstein, are worth a hell of a lot more than a penny."

Jace's hearty laugh is contagious so we both fall over the dashboard, violently laughing our asses off.

"So what were you thinking about, sweetheart?"

"You."

* * *

**AN: Decided to give you guys some crap because, well, I'm leaving for like 2 weeks and I won't be coming back. So if I didn't update now, it'd be cruel and harsh. Put away your pitchforks and your torches. Expect an update AS SOON as I get back. **

**AND COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TOPIC BUT GOOD LORD. IF ANY OF YOU LISTEN OR WANT TO LISTEN TO PIERCE THE VEIL, THEIR NEW SONG JUST CAME OUT (AFTER 3 YEARS). IT'S REALLY GOOD. LIKE, REALLY GOOD.**

**Follow, favorite, and review.**

**Love you, babes, **

**\- fucj**


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